Scramble for the Ball: Pain and Suffering

Editor's note: Welcome to the first Scramble of the Fox era. If it looks a little remedial, that's why -- it's reprinted Fox, where nobody know what Scramble is about or what DVOA and DPAR are.

Al:You ready for the Brooks Bollinger era in New York, Viv? I didn't think so. And it doesn't look like the Jets are ready for it yet either. Have you seen the names they're trying out this week? Jesse Palmer? Brock Berlin? Doug Johnson? With players who would struggle to start for the Rhein Fire at quarterback, an offensive line that isn't close to as effective as it was a year ago without Kareem McKenzie, and a 32-year old starting tailback, the Super Bowl Champion New York Jet bandwagon has come to a screeching halt.

Vivek: What a great lineup of former college quarterbacks who played ball in the state of Florida. I'm glad the Jets stayed consistent with the tryout process by signing U of M's and Long Island's own Vinny Testeverde. At least my college buddy and budding sports journalist Jordan can use his â€œJust Vin Baby" headline again. I wonder who was next on the list for the Jets? Gino Torretta? Charlie Ward might be ripe for the picking after taking some time off from professional sports. Call me the pessimist here, but I am not seeing any story like 1999 when Kurt Warner came out of nowhere after Trent Green's injury to win the Super Bowl.

All sarcasm aside, the Jets should have taken a good look at Billy Volek if they wanted to salvage the 2005 season. Volek knows Mike Heimerdinger's offense and was a good replacement for Steve McNair last year. Despite the 2-8 record as a starter, Volek had eight quality starts with injuries and diminishing talent around him. He does not have the ideal arm strength for Heimerdinger's deep routes, but his poise and feel for the game more than make up for that. Unless Steve McNair takes the field each week with some space-age armor, though, this trade is not happening.

Another candidate should have been Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey was never allowed to succeed during his tenure in Washington. Ramsey's accuracy on short-to-medium range passes and his strong arm would have been assets in the Jets offense. If the Redskins hold onto Ramsey, the organization truly believes that they can make a playoff run and can use Ramsey to continue the season in the event of an injury to Brunell. Now I disagree with that mentality for the simple reason that the Redskins can get more for Ramsey now than they will after the season. If Ramsey is pressed back into action, there is no way that his psyche is ready to lead this team to the playoffs. If Brunell gets hurt for a prolonged period of the time, let's start the Jason Campbell era.

By no means at all am I suggesting that the Jets should trade a second round pick or package multiple mid-rounders for a stopgap quarterback. If the price is right, go for it.

These are all pipe dreams, though. We know the odds of any in-season trade are as high as Terrell Owens's inviting Donovan McNabb over on Thursday nights to watch the The OC.

Healthy or not, Chad Pennington did not work with the Jets new offense. All of the excitement from that 9-for-10 passing day in the preseason against the Vikings has been tempered ever since. The regular season did nothing to put the Jets at ease, starting with six fumbles and a lack of timing between Pennington and Laveranues Coles. Pennington's fantasy numbers were not a true barometer of his on-field performance in Week 2. He lacked any authority on his pass attempts, simply tossing floaters up in the air (which of course causes any safety to salivate). And then we get to last Sunday and more of the same.

Al: I can't believe I'm going to defend Vinny Testaverde here, but picking him up was easily the best decision the Jets could have made. None of the players you've mentioned are significantly better than Testaverde was last season. If you take out his performance in fourth quarters, Testaverde was an effective quarterback for the Cowboys last season. Based on DPAR (what's DPAR? It's the number of points a player is worth over a replacement player, adjusted for defense. Click here for a full explanation), Testaverde was worth 45.7 points above a replacement quarterback over the first three quarters of games last year, a level that would have put him right between Jake Delhomme and Carson Palmer. In the fourth quarter, however, Testaverde was 9.2 points worse than a replacement player, about where Mark Brunell and Ken Dorsey finished last season. If Testaverde can avoid such a huge fourth quarter collapse with the Jets this year, he'll be a perfectly capable quarterback. At the very least, Testaverde will be as good as the other quarterbacks freely available right now.

You mentioned a bunch of backups around the league as targets the Jets should go after, but they're all going to cost at least a third round pick, in the case of Ramsey, or multiple high round picks, in the case of Volek. And neither of those are guaranteed to be any better than Testaverde will be. It's not worth trading away draft picks to marginally upgrade your chances of making the playoffs and losing in the first round.

Lessons Learned from Week 3

Al: Each column, we list a few things about the NFL, fantasy football, or life in general that we learned from watching games over the weekend. Not to get too philosophical here, but you really can learn something you didn't know before every week if you really try. Of course, the things we thought we learned usually turn out to not be true a week or two later, but it's the thought that counts.

Lesson 1 â€“ It Might Be Time to Tone Down Those Super Bowl Visions for the Panthers

Vivek: I'm not officially off the wagon because of a relatively light schedule, but as evidenced by their Team Efficiency ratings, the Panthers have not shown much all around. The loss of Kris Jenkins will allow teams to run more against this defense, and Jake Delhomme hasn't lived up to my expectations. Nine wins and the division crown is still attainable in a very weak NFC, but as each week passes, it is harder for me to see the Panthers knocking off the upper echelon of the conference.

Lesson 2 â€“ The Dolphins Could Win the AFC East

Al: Four weeks ago you would have been laughed out of the room if you said you thought Miami had a chance to win the AFC East. Now? The Jets are down to their third string quarterback after not playing that well with their first stringer. Buffalo's quarterback of the future doesn't look like he's the quarterback of the present, and the man in the heart of their #2 ranked defense from a year ago, Takeo Spikes, is done for the season. New England has one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. With a healthy roster, that wouldn't normally be a problem for the two-time defending champs. But with more members of the Patriot secondary in the infirmary than on the field, and with newcomers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown not coming close to replacing Tedy Bruschi's production at linebacker, that difficult schedule is more likely to rear it's ugly head.

That leaves us with Miami, a team that is undefeated at home after beating two teams most everyone thought would at least make the playoffs this year. They have a defense in the top five of the Football Outsiders defense efficiency rankings. Gus Frerotte has been surprisingly effective at quarterback, Ronnie Brown has shown flashes at running back, and the offensive line has outperformed everyone's low expectations, allowing the second fewest sacks in the league. I'm not saying Miami is ready to replace New England at the top of the division just yet, but right now, they might just have the best chance of any team in the AFC East to do so.

Lesson 3 â€“ The Burger King/NFL Commercial Has the Ability to Induce Nightmares

Vivek: Maybe I'm just having flashbacks to the original â€œWake Up With The King" commercials that debuted during the summer, but I still flip channels when I see the King doing the Prime Time dance in the end zone. Perhaps this is also tied to my fear of clowns . . .

Al: Sorry Viv, those BK commercials are brilliant. If only Hootie was there to sing about the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich with the King in the endzone, they'd be perfect.

Scramble for the Ball Mailbag

Send us your general football or especially your fantasy football questions each week, and we'll answer them in this very space. If you want us to help you figure out whom to bench or start or whom to pick up off the waiver wire each week, contact us by Tuesday so we can answer the question in this space every Wednesday. You can either email us at scramble@footballoutsiders.com, or fill out the contact form.

Walt writes:

Based on FO projections I landed Domanick Davis and Kevin Jones in our 12 team draft. Needless to say, after two bad weeks and now the bye week things aren't looking good. Do I stay the course and hope things pick up in the next 10 weeks or do I offer one up for trade and try to get a more reliable back in return? If I were to offer one which one would you suggest? The waiver wire is not a real option in this league, it is basically picked clean with most teams carrying at least 5 RBs on their roster.

Al: For those new readers who may not have picked up the international bestseller Pro Football Prospectus 2005 (don't worry if you haven't, it's not too late), our highly sophisticated KUBIAK projection system (yes it's named after the former Bronco backup QB and current offensive coordinator) projected that Kevin Jones would lead the league in rushing yards and that Domanick Davis would finish as one of the top five backs in fantasy football.

After the first two weeks, those projections aren't looking so hot, especially if you drafted both of them, which really doesn't make much sense considering they shared the same Week 3 bye week. I can understand your frustration with the slow starts of both of those players, but it's really too quick to press the panic button just yet. As you said, Walt, it's not like you can grab a starter off the waiver wire just yet. If you make a trade now for a starting RB, you'll likely end up on the short end of the stick as you'll need to package either both of your running backs or a running back and top wide receiver to grab someone like Willie Parker from a team that has an extra RB that they're willing to trade.

If you thought Davis and K. Jones were good enough to start for your fantasy team four weeks ago, two games shouldn't be enough to have you completely jump ship on them. Let's not forget that Houston played two solid defenses in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Kevin Jones had a decent game in Week 1, putting up 87 yards. He was only given eight carries against Chicago in Week 2, as Detroit threw the ball 43 times to try and catch up with the three touchdowns the Bears scored in the second quarter. Jones has some tough matchups over the next few weeks, but starting in Week 7, he has as good a schedule as you could hope for a fantasy running back to have. Stick with Jones and Davis and I think you'll be rewarded.

Vivek:: Al's right on point. Right now is the time when the other vultures in your league are trying to buy low and sell high. Expect offers of Terry Glenn and Trent Dilfer for one of your running backs. Plus, you got your bye weeks out of the way last weekend, so you won't be shorthanded at this spot the rest of the way.

Andy from Needham, MA asks:

I'm in an IDP Keep-3 league with a very short bench, and I need to drop someone to make room for a bye-week pickup at linebacker.

With 6 pts. per TD and 1 pt. per 20 yards rush/rec, which of these guys do I vote off the island: Kevin Curtis, Justin McCareins, Kevan Barlow, Tatum Bell, or Aaron Brooks? (Note: dumping Brooks would leave me with no backup QB).

Al: Last week I might have given you a different answer, but with the Brooks Bollinger experience going on in the Meadowlands, get rid of Justin McCareins. The chances of any Jet being a valuable fantasy performer plummeted because of the injuries to Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler. I'd be shocked if McCareins averaged more than four fantasy points a week from here on out.

Vivek: No brainer â€“ McCareins.

Steve from Fishers, IN writes:

I've got Matt Hasselbeck against the Redskins and Drew Brees against the Pats. Who should I start?

Vivek: Haven't I learned to not go against the Pats? Apparently not. Without Rodney Harrison, the secondary is susceptible to the Chargers' passing attack. Keenan McCardell, Antonio Gates and a revitalized LaDainian Tomlinson could be too much for New England to handle.

Al: Tough call, but I'd go with Brees. I'm a big Hasselbeck fan, but I think San Diego's passing game matches up well against New England's injured secondary.

Russ writes in with an Eliminator Pool question:

Thanks to San Francisco and Miami this year, I'm one of the final 15 left in my office elimination pool. I've used up Pittsburgh, Indy and Philadelphia already. Thoughts on this week? And should I save up the Patriots for one of the last weeks of the pool?

Vivek: I'm going to guess that you picked in this order: Pittsburgh versus Tennessee, Philadelphia versus San Francisco and Indianapolis versus Cleveland. You've always gone with the strong team versus a weak opponent, and that is how you win these pools. What is the use of saving New England for Week 11 if your pick of Arizona over San Francisco knocks you out this week? This week's matchups feature a lot of even matchups, but the one team that jumps out at me is Cincinnati at home against Houston. As you will see below in Best Bets, I'll even give the Texans the points.

Al: I made the mistake of trying to save teams for later in the year and was knocked out of my pool after Week 1. If you think New England will win this week, don't be afraid of using them.

Our friend Ian from Braintree, MA asks:

Advice time here- Who do you like better for this Sunday, Warrick Dunn @ Minnesota, or Mewelde Moore vs Atlanta. Or I could be stupid and bench Shaun Alexander at Washington to start both of them. 1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving, 6 per touchdown. Of course, Al knows the scoring, since he's currently looking up at my 1st place team in the standings.

Al: You just haven't faced my team yet. In any event, I could tell you to bench Alexander in hopes that you would lose this week, but I'll be nice and hope you're still undefeated in a few weeks so I can be the one to deliver your first loss of the year. One of the few cardinal rules of fantasy football is â€œAlways Start Your Studs." Shaun Alexander is a stud. If Alexander is on your team, you either used a top three draft pick or a huge percentage of your salary cap to get him. If you were that confident in his ability, you should be confident enough to start him against a good defense. As far as Dunn vs. Moore, I'd go with Dunn. Both Minnesota and Atlanta have been poor at stopping the run so far this year. I'd go with the player who has the more defined role in his offense and the better expectations to get a significant number of touches.

Vivek: Finally, a point of contention between Al and me. I'm going to use Al's point against him. Dunn has averaged 18 touches per game so far, while Moore finally ended the RB carousel last week with a 22-carry 101-yard effort. With TJ Duckett on board, his touchdown chances will also be limited. Moore's role is defined for me â€“ full time back.

Tommy S. writes:

I need your help with week 4. 1) In regard to QB's this week, do I start D.Brees , J.P. Losman, or pick up J. Harrington from the waiver wire ? 2) Which TE do I start, T.Heap or L.J. Smith ? 3) I'm in a flex league so which 3 of these 4 players would you select to start : K. Barlow, C. Brown, Mewelde Moore, and Reggie Williams ? 4) I have N. Rackers as my kicker, should I search for a new one since J.McNown has taken over as QB for Arizona ?

Al: 1) Stay with Brees. Against the beat up New England secondary, he's a better option than either Losman or Harrington. 2) I'd go with Smith, for the reasons I go into below in discussing my Best Bets. 3) Wow, those are bad options. Go with the running backs. They're at least guaranteed to touch the ball 8-10 times. Williams could easily end up with only one or two receptions. 4) Stick with Rackers, even with Kurt Warner's injury downgrading the Cardinals offense. The Arizona/San Francisco game is being played in Mexico City, 7000+ feet above sea level. Rackers has a strong leg as it is. Arizona will have to get the ball to their opponent's 40 yard line to get into field goal range. With the extra elevation, he has a legitimate shot at setting the NFL record for longest field goal on Sunday night.

Finally, R.P. asks:

I was hoping that you would be able to help me out this week. Which Wide Receiver should I start over the other, Reggie Williams or Justin McCareins? Or should I drop one of these players and scour the waiver wire for the likes of Joey Galloway, Robert Ferguson, Antonio Chatman, or Terry Glenn?

Also, should I stay put with the Chargers Defense or seek solace in the waiver wire for Washington, NYJ, or Cleveland? And last but not least, should I stay pat with Josh Brown this week or seek other alternatives?

Al: Can I pick option C â€“ â€œNone of the wide receivers you mentioned"? Drop McCareins for the reasons we discuss earlier in the mailbag and grab Glenn, who has a great matchup against Oakland this week. I'm a big proponent of playing matchups each week with your defense, unless you have the Ravens or some similar team. The Jets should be able to generate some turnovers playing against the Ravens and Anthony Wright, so they'd be my pick from the teams you mentioned. As far as kickers go, Brown's as good as any other kicker you'll likely find on the waiver wire. If Neil Rackers is out there, I'd be tempted to grab him for the Mexico City game Sunday night, but other than that just hang tight with what you have.

Keep Choppin' Wood Award

Al: For those of you just joining us on FOX, the Keep Choppin' Wood Award is given out every week in honor of the NFL player who has done the most to keep his team from winning, or has done something notably stupid. The award was first handed out in 2003 after Jaguar punter Chris Hanson injured himself by cutting into his leg with an axe in the Jaguars locker room. What was an axe doing in the Jaguar locker room you ask? It was part of coach Jack Del Rio's motivational plan encouraging his team to â€œKeep Choppin' Wood." To drive the metaphor home, Del Rio put a tree stump and an axe in the locker room, and players were encouraged to take swings at the wood. It wasn't long before the inevitable happened and someone missed the log and instead chopped his own leg.

Vivek: My off-field winners this week are the two unnamed clock operators at Heinz field, who inadvertently added 52 seconds to the clock in the fourth quarter, leaving plenty of time for Tom Brady to add to his legacy as the best clutch QB in the NFL. So much for home field advantage.

Al: There are a bunch of worthy candidates this week, but whenever I'm watching a game with a group of people who have no rooting interest for either team and everyone screams at the television because they just witnessed a mind numbingly awful decision, we have ourselves a Keep Choppin' Wood Award winner. This week, it goes to Oakland kick returner Chris Carr.

When David Akers limped on the field to kick the go ahead field goal for Philadelphia, there were nine seconds left on the clock. To the surprise of no one, backup tight end Mike Bartrum, filling in for the injured Akers, squib kicked the ball to about the Raiders' 32-yard line. If there was a team built to pull of a hail mary pass with little time left on the clock, it is the Raiders. With the cannon arm of Kerry Collins, and the speed, jumping ability, and hands of Randy Moss, there isn't a team in the league better equipped to complete a last minute, 60-yard touchdown pass. All Carr needed to do was run straight ahead and let the oncoming Eagles tackle him around the 40-yard line with a few seconds left on the clock.

Instead, Carr tried to win the game all by himself. When faced with Philadelphia's coverage team rapidly approaching, Carr didn't make the smart play and allow himself to be tackled. Instead, Carr ran backwards for ten yards, trying to find an opening that would allow him to run 70-yards to the end zone so he would have the glory of scoring the game winning touchdown to himself. Of course, that didn't happen, and Carr ran aimlessly around the field for nine seconds before being tackled at the 34-yard line, gaining a mere two yards on the play as time expired.

Vivek: I'm not even a Steelers fan, but I've been assigning blame left and right for Sunday's loss to the Pats. The on-field KCW-worthy performance came from Antwaan "Hey Look, It's Hines Ward!" Randle El. Early in the second quarter when the Steelers were up 10-7, Randle El inexplicably lateraled the ball to Hines Ward after a 49-yard gain into the New England red zone. Ward, as expectant of the toss as the rest of the world, never got a firm handle on the ball, and the Patriots' Eugene Wilson recovered. You all know the rest â€“ Patriots take the lead, we go back in time without a Flux Capacitor, Steelers tie the game late, and Vinatieri does his thing.

Loser League Update

Al: Here are the top Loser League performers from Week 3. We'll have the team-by-team contest results available on FootballOutsiders.com later in the week.

Best Bets

Vivek: Are you tired of looking at the NFL ticker on Sunday and hearing Warner Wolf in your head?

â€œIf you had the Cardinals plus 25, you lost!"

Well, Al and I might not completely drown out that voice, but we will give you our best bets each week here using the lines from FOXSports. As common courtesy would dictate, the one with the lower score from the previous week will pick first. (Read: me)

Vivek: (1-2 last week, 4-5 overall)

Stephen Davis was back. Steve Smith was back. The Panthers were coming off a win against the Super Bowl champs. Three points seemed like nothing, right? Tell that to the first place Dolphins. My lock for the week was upset on the road, keeping me under .500 for the season.

CINCINATTI -10.0 over Houston

We all love the word potential, and this matchup shows how much of a disparity there can be between potential and reality. Potential is what happens when you have David Carr, Domanick Davis and Andre Johnson at the helm of an 0-2 team. Reality is a 3-0 record when Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and Rudi Johnson are close to reaching their full potential.

Houston has the dubious distinction here of having offensive and defensive lines that rank towards the bottom of the league. Even though this was an issue last year on both the offensive and defensive sides, the Texans still cannot protect the quarterback, nor can they sack opposing signal callers.

I'd take Cincy here even if I had to give two touchdowns.

Minnesota +5.5 over ATLANTA

I see this as a straight up win for the Vikings. Mewelde Moore has taken hold of the starting running back job, making life a lot easier for Dante Culpepper. You only need to look back a few days to see what effect that had on Culpepper. With a much improved pass defense and for all of us still waiting for Michael Vick to become a great quarterback (versus athlete), expect Minnesota to stuff the box and blitz heavily in passing situations. Focusing on the running game should keep Atlanta in check.

Indianapolis -6.5 over TENNESSEE

The Colts are going for their fifth straight win versus the Titans this Sunday, and expect Payton Manning to finally outshine his brother against a suspect pass defense. Combine that with the fact that the Colts have not allowed a sack all year, and you have the makings of a big day for the offense.

TAMPA BAY -6.5 over Detroit

After an undefeated first week, I've given my lead back with two 1-2 weeks. Time to make up for it.

NEW ORLEANS Pick â€˜em over Buffalo

This will likely be the only time I pick New Orleans for the rest of the year. No way they lose this one. I can't believe this game is a pick â€˜em. The Saints are playing their first real home game of the season, in front of 50,000+ San Antonians rabid to see live NFL action. The Bills offense was ineffective at home last week against Atlanta and can't be expected to fare much better this week on the road. The loss of Takeo Spikes will be a huge hit to the Bills run defense. Deuce McAllister may be overrated, but he's good enough to have a huge game against Buffalo on Sunday.

N.Y. GIANTS -3.0 over St. Louis

The Rams will be able to put points up on the Giants. The Giants don't have anyone in their secondary that can cover Tory Holt. However, the Rams are awful on the road. St. Louis managed only two wins away from the Edward Jones Dome last season, both against their division rivals in the terrible NFC West. Over the past three seasons, Marc Bulger has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns away from home. If the Giant defense has done one thing well this year, it has been creating turnovers. New York is fifth in the league with eight takeaways, and fourth with five interceptions.

The biggest advantage the Giants have in this game, however, is their special teams. New York has had the best overall special teams in the NFL this year by a huge margin. Under Mike Martz, the Rams have consistently had terrible special teams, including a last place finish in the Football Outsiders special teams rankings a year ago.

Philadelphia +2.5 over KANSAS CITY

Strangest line of the week. I'm a big believer in the Chiefs this year and love what they've done to improve their defense, but I don't see them beating the Eagles, even at home. Philadelphia is one of the few teams in the league with enough depth in their secondary and at linebacker to adequately contain all of the Chiefs' weapons on offense. On defense, Kansas City doesn't have anyone who can cover Terrell Owens, although I do think Derrick Johnson and the rest of the Chief linebackers will be able to contain Brian Westbrook. That will, however, open up some room for L.J. Smith, who could have a huge game.

Posted by: scramble on 29 Sep 2005

42 comments, Last at
10 Sep 2010, 3:04am by
uggs outlet

Comments

1

by Pat (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 12:51am

Al:

I'm with you all the way on the Carr thing. At the sports bar I was at, when that happened, I broke out laughing so loud that people looked at me funny, then I yelled "he's running out the clock for them!" and everyone else broke out laughing too. It was the stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do in a football game. How dumb do you have to be? Norv Turner just lost a whole ton of points by me.

Vinny Testaverde was by far the most attractive option for the Jets for a number of reasons. First, he doesn't cost anything in the way of draft picks, nor does he require a long-term contract. Second, he's already familiar with the team and the players if not the new offense, and he's widely respected in the locker room, something that a Patrick Ramsey most assuredly would not have been. Third, he's as good or better as any of the players available. You can quibble about whether or not he has the most ability of the available or semi-available players, but he certainly gives this team the best chance to win every week this season.

You have to be very disciplined about team construction, and sometimes that means biting the bullet and making the best of a bad situation. Look at Miami last year- they traded away two first day picks in a futile attempt to replace Ricky Williams and ended up with the second pick in the draft for their troubles, which they ended up using on...drum roll...the replacement for Ricky Williams. Any trade now would be a panic move, it would cost the team picks, and it's doubtful that the player who was brought in would play well enough to save the season. The Jets will definitely need to address the quarterback position in the offseason, even while keeping an eye on Pennington's recovery. There will be players available then, both free agents and draft choices, and the prices will be lower for anyone not named "Leinart."

4

by B (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 11:19am

Pat, does this mean I have to turn in my "Norv Turner is a genius" buttons?

5

by Bruce Dickinson (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 11:29am

After week 2, i figured that Detroit was the frontrunner for the Matt Leinert sweepstakes. i wasn't considering it from the POV of team to finish with the worst record, but rather team who needed him the most and might trade up to make that pick. for obvious reasons it looks like the Jets have entered the race with a bang. i would give them a slight edge at this point.

Bruce's Pick:
Last week i forgot that Romeo Crennel was the coach defending P.Manning, big mistake i guess since they didn't cover the spread. (2-1 for the season).
this week i'll take Carolina (-8) at home over GB. Logic: GB is terrible. GB is on the road. CAR is sulking. CAR is at home.

6

by Xao (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 1:21pm

A fantasy dilemma: I've been offered Detroit's Roy Williams for Ronnie Brown. Normally, I'd decline it out of hand, but my running back corps is much stronger than my group of receivers: Domanick Davis, Kevin Jones, Brian Westbrook, Willie Parker, and Brown versus Hines Ward, Rod Smith, Ashlie Lelie, Bobby Engram, and Koren Robinson (picked up this week on speculation). We start three receivers, two running backs, and a flex player (so, three running backs for me). Do you think Ricky Williams will diminish Brown's value enough to counter the fact that Roy Williams has Joey Harrington "throwing" to him?

7

by Harris (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 4:52pm

You're picking the Vikings this week because they beat the Saints last week? The Saints were a mediocre team with questionable coaching before their hometown disappeared. Now they have more emotional baggage than any team in history and last week they were playing their third consecutive road game. I can't see how beating that team proves anything for the Vikings.

8

by Pat (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 5:03pm

Psst, to Vivek:

It's "Cincinnati", not "Cincinatti". It's right on FOXSports.com, but wrong here.

And I agree that Minnesota over Atlanta is a nutso pick. Atlanta will cover - probably by at least 10.

How about Herm Edwards for chopping wood.
1: Putting back a QB with off-season shoulder surgery, after getting knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury
2: (And I cannot believe this isn't talked about more) Calling a timeout before a measurement for a first down against Jacksonville. He stopped the clock for them and and gave them an extra time out on their final drive.

Charlie Ward is the third-string PG for the Houston Rockets. That's a team in the NBA. It's a professional sports league. Really.

Last week, however, he asked the team to switch him to a non-playing role, perhaps a front office position. Sura's going to be out for awhile, so he could play if he wants to.

His contract is still with the Rockets and it's his decision to retire or not.

Dogged by injuries last year, Ward played about 15 games, if I recall. Click on my name for exact stats from NBA.com.

Give Charlie some respect!

11

by Mr. Obvious (not verified) :: Thu, 09/29/2005 - 8:40pm

I predict that Miami will not lose this Sunday. Stone. Cold. Lead. Pipe. Lock.

12

by Matthew Furtek (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 1:43am

Sproles of the Chargers did the same thing against Denver in Week 2. SD don't have Moss + Collins though.

I don't think Minny is a bad pick.

13

by iyyi (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 1:54am

Three uninspiring RB options and only two spots to play them in! Who's the odd man out: Lewis vs the Jets, Taylor vs Denver, Brown vs Indy? (Okay technically there is a fourth option: Martin at Baltimore. I said technically!)

14

by B (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 12:13pm

#11: Why not go out on a limb and predict Cleveland won't lose this week instead?

15

by Pat (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 1:34pm

B: I'm just surprised Houston didn't lose last week. I figured the NFL would've reviewed the first two game tapes, and said "yah, uhm, we're giving you an extra loss based on those games. Come on, man."

16

by TMK (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 1:58pm

2nd RB position still open:

Jamal Lewis against the Jets or Marcel Shipp against the 49ers?

17

by larry (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 2:09pm

Would you do following trade?
Jamal Lewis & Andre Johnson in exchange for Clinton Portis and Isaac Bruce. League is a points per reception league.

18

by ABW (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 2:39pm

TMK: I would stay away from Marcel Shipp.

Larry: Well, do you think Houston's offense is going to turn around now that Chris Palmer is gone? Also, be aware that Bruce has a turf toe injury. I'm not sure I would make that trade just because of the uncertainty surrounding those players. OTOH, Clinton Portis could be a great pickup.

OK, now my question:
Tom Brady or Drew Bledsoe?

19

by Rich (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 3:39pm

Re: Tom Brady vs Bledsoe:

This week? Bledsoe. He's gonna light up Oakland's "defense" like a christmas tree.

20

by Xao (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 3:39pm

Re: #17

I would hang on to Lewis and Johnson at this point. Given the Quarterback situation in Baltimore, they have to start pounding the ball more, don't they? Couple that with Bruce's turf toe, that often becomes a nagging injury that can hound a player for the rest of the year, I'd stick with what you have.

An update on my own post #6: I've dumped Engram and Robinson this week for Travis Taylor and Kevin Curtis, so I'm leaning towards keeping Brown. I'm reluctant to put much stock in Harrington's ability to find Williams at this point. Anyone have any thoughts as to why I'm blatantly wrong?

21

by Geoff C (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 3:55pm

iyyi: Tough call. I think I'd bench Brown.

ABW: I think I'd go with Brady but it's a tough call. I just think sooner or later Bledsoe is going to have an awful game. On the other hand, Oakland seems like pretty good matchup.

I have receiver decisions in two different leagues.
League #1: Pick one of lelie, arnaz battle, and Moulds
League #2: Pick two of Clayton, Bennett, and Santanna Moss

22

by Geoff C (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 3:55pm

iyyi: Tough call. I think I'd bench Brown.

ABW: I think I'd go with Brady but it's a tough call. I just think sooner or later Bledsoe is going to have an awful game. On the other hand, Oakland seems like pretty good matchup.

I have receiver decisions in two different leagues.
League #1: Pick one of lelie, arnaz battle, and Moulds
League #2: Pick two of Clayton, Bennett, and Santanna Moss

23

by Xao (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 4:04pm

Geoff C,

In the first league, I'd start Battle. Rattay's been looking his way fairly frequently and as I recall Rattay usually does well against poor defenses. Thus far, Arizona hasn't convinced me they can stop the pass...

In the second league, I think you have to start Moss against Seattle, but the other two seem like a toss up to me. Neither one has gotten into the endzone yet, and I still don't know what to make of Indy yet. I figure they have to open up the offense against Tennessee, but that may be wishful thinking as I'm starting the elder Manning. If they do, you could see McNair having to air it out to keep up, but then I figured the same thing last week against the Browns, so what do I know? The same sort of reasoning applies to Clayton: Gruden can't keep running Williams at his current rate... can he? He has to feature the passing game more if he wants Williams to live through the entire seasons, right? Detroit would seem to be the place to do it...

24

by Dave (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 4:22pm

Any thoughts on 2 games, that weren't mentioned above?

St. Louis at New York Giants, o/u is 47. It sounds like you guys are predicting the over?

Seattle at Washington -1.5. Take the home team, which has no offense except Portis? Or take the combustible Seahawks?

25

by CaffeineMan (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 5:02pm

OK, here's my fantasy question. QB scoring is: 6/TD, 1/25yds, -2/INT

Brees (@ NE) or Griese (vs DET)?

Griese will probably put up something reasonable, but not spectacular. Brees is tougher to predict. There's LT2 to run, taking away passing TD's, but there's LT2, Gates, and McCardell as passing targets. There's the wounded Patriots' defense, but are they a dangerous wounded bear? The Pats seem to be able to clamp down on ONE aspect of a teams offense (like the Steelers running game) at unexpected times, even if they can't stop both. So, will they attempt to stop the run, leaving Brees with plenty of points in a shootout? Any thoughts?

Man, that Michael Vick sure is terrible. Funny how he keeps winning. And how the Falcons keep being able to run the ball despite their problems in the passing game.

27

by Aaron Boden (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 5:34pm

who should I start at RB - Mike Anderson vs. JAX or Mewelde Moore vs. Atlanta?

28

by Pat (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 7:15pm

Mac:

I'm sorry, you must've missed two weeks ago.

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by CaffeineMan (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 7:22pm

Heyheyheyhey! Pat! Some of us are desperate for fantasy advice here! Can you at least wait until I get my question answered before you fire up a Vick vs. NcNabb debate!

Lots of :)...

30

by B (not verified) :: Fri, 09/30/2005 - 10:57pm

As I'm a Patriots fan desperatly clinging to the idea that the Patriots don't lose at home, I'm not an unbiased view, but here goes. Greise will put up some good numbers, around 250-300 yards, but they'll be playing with a lead for most of the game, and Gruden loves to hand the ball off to his Cadillac. And with Detroit's rush defense, I don't see any reason not to, espicially in the red zone. The SD/NE game, on the other hand, is going to be a shootout, and the Patriots should struggle stopping Antonio Gates. I wouldn't take LDT or McCardell, but Brees is a good bet for some points.

31

by CaffeineMan (not verified) :: Sat, 10/01/2005 - 3:11am

Thanks B... I'm coming to the "shootout" conclusion as well, figuring the Pats may try to stop LDT and hope for the best. I just don't think they have enough defense to stop all of SD's weapons unless Brees starts to self destruct.

Seriously, is it something about Atlanta? The BP boys keep picking against the Braves when they win every year, and you guys keep saying that Vick's no good and the Falcons will lose and all they do is go out and win.

38

by Pat (not verified) :: Mon, 10/03/2005 - 1:56pm

Loser League update is off of "Contests", part 1 results.

And my team is getting massacred, as I expected. I completely forgot that my "starting QB" was Frerotte, as assured I was that Miami was going to run the ball all the time. Aaarrrggh! And the "Kerry Collins Experiment" is failing dramatically, as Moss really is making Collins into a consistent QB.

At least Collins didn't rip up the joint on Frerotte's bye week. Only 10 points there.

And then Battle and Dez White go and get their *!^(!ing selves injured. And on Marty Booker's open date as well, you jerks. Grr.

And my RBs, stinking up the joint as well (in Loser League terms, that is). Kevan Barlow's my one good pick, and then Michael Pittman (okay, this one was dumb) goes and rips Detroit a new one.

Tack on the fact that one of my kickers (John Hall) gets injured, and I'm wallowing in misery.

All in all, a big fat 59 points. Oh well, at least I'm not dead last, and at least some of my picks the guys at the top agreed with me on (Battle, Barlow, Scobee).

New Loser League rule: always go with the rookie QBs that have the trust of the front office. Orton and Losman are ripping it up.

39

by Pat (not verified) :: Mon, 10/03/2005 - 4:06pm

all they do is go out and win.

1) Were you missing three weeks ago?

2) MIN: -40.3% DVOA ATL: 4.0% DVOA. I don't think many people here would've pick against Atlanta in that game. Wait until after next week, kay?

40

by Clonmullin (not verified) :: Mon, 10/03/2005 - 4:14pm

Lads

I've just been offered Corey Dillon for Tiki Barber. I've only got 3 RBs ( you have to start 2 QBs, 3WRS, 2RBS a kicked and DST with 3 on the bench )and they are Barber, Rudi and Benson up in Chicago. I'm fairly comfortable at 4-0 so don't have to trade but my fear at the moment is that the Giants are carrying the team with Eli, Barber & Buress in there. Any thoughts ? Cheers

41

by geoff (not verified) :: Tue, 10/04/2005 - 3:49am

Guys, a few (reasonably quick) Loser League questions:

With penalty points for RB's, do receptions count as carries to get you over the 8 carry threshold?

Is there any chance of putting a summary of who got selected in the 250-odd LL teams for Part 1? I'd be interested to know how many people spotted Kyle Orton as a LL champion, and how many people (like me) are kicking themselves having thought Trent Dilfer was a good LL candidate.